Microsoft Project review (2026): verdict, pros & cons

Microsoft's classic project scheduling and portfolio tool with powerful Gantt, critical path, resource management and Power Platform/Teams integration.

We weighed Microsoft Project the same way as every other traditional pm / scheduling tool we track: what it does well, what it costs, and who actually benefits.

Verdict: For traditional/waterfall project managers, Microsoft Project is one of the safer bets among traditional pm / scheduling tools. Our editorial rating is 4.1/5 — an editorial assessment from sourced research and feature comparison, not an average of user reviews.

Who Microsoft Project is for

You'll get the most from Microsoft Project if you're focused on traditional/waterfall project managers, detailed scheduling and critical path and microsoft 365 organizations. Match it against your own priorities: a clean fit means quick returns, a loose one usually means paying for range you won't touch.

Notable features

A few capabilities do the heavy lifting in Microsoft Project:

• Detailed Gantt scheduling with task dependencies (lead/lag)
• Critical path management and baselines
• Resource management and workload tracking
• Project financials, budgeting and costing (Plan 3+)
• Enterprise portfolio and demand management (Plan 5)

Microsoft's classic powerhouse for detailed Gantt scheduling, critical path and enterprise portfolios.

Pros & cons

Pros

• + Best-in-class for detailed scheduling and critical path
• + Deep Microsoft 365 / Power Platform integration
• + Mature resource and portfolio management

Cons to weigh

• - Expensive (Plan 3 ~$30, Plan 5 ~$55/user/mo)
• - Steep learning curve; overkill for simple/agile teams
• - Project Online retires 30 September 2026 (transition to Planner Premium)

Pricing: Project Plan 1 from ~$10/user/mo; Plan 3 ~$30/user/mo; Plan 5 ~$55/user/mo (cloud, billed monthly/annually; on-premise editions separate). · full pricing breakdown →

Bottom line

Bottom line: as a traditional pm / scheduling tool, Microsoft Project is an easy recommendation when traditional/waterfall project managers is central, and with paid plans start around $10/mo the smart move is to test it on one real task before scaling up.

Alternatives to consider

Not sure Microsoft Project is the one? We compare the strongest options side by side in our Microsoft Project alternatives roundup — useful if pricing or a specific feature is a sticking point.

Full Microsoft Project overview →